WWF great “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff is battling cancer

As some of you already heard, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff recently announced on the Busted Open satellite radio show that he has cancer. (A partial transcript of Orndorff’s interview is up on the Pro Wrestling Torch website.)

If you asked most people who grew up watching 1980s WWF wrestling, Orndorff would be among the most memorable pro wrestlers of the decade. He had a hugely successful feud with Hulk Hogan. He was equally adept at playing a heel and a babyface. And his promos were top notch.

Hogan has Orndorff and Randy “Macho Man” Savage to thank for cementing his status in wrestling, because without those two workers against him in matches, Hogan would never have looked as good as he did.

You can make a lot of arguments that Orndorff should have held the WWF World Title, or at least the Intercontinental Title. Incredibly, Orndorff never held gold in the WWF. He would have been an awesome, arrogant champion, who, based on his work, would have drawn people to the arenas.